Chapter 24: The Prey Takes the Bait

Since when exactly was it?

The demonic energy that had been secretly spread out in all directions around him was only now being felt.

‘……They’re here.’

However, the level of demonic energy felt was much higher than expected.

When he caught Amos, it had been publicly announced that his father and Sir Gremon had taken care of the magician.

So, he had thought that if they were to target him again, an enemy of a similar level to Amos would show up.

‘He can’t compare to that guy. 3-Circle… no, maybe 4-Circle?

No, there’s no way…….’

What was certain was that even with the Demon Devourer’s ability, he couldn’t get a good grasp of it.

“Young Master?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just in a bad mood because of this sticky stuff.

Continue your work.

You guys be careful of this saliva too.”

Muno said, patting Rom’s shoulder, and took another firework from his pocket and subtly handed it to him.

Rom looked at Muno with a quizzical expression, but his expression hardened slightly as he saw the finger Muno brushed against his lips.

“I’ll go check if there are any monsters we missed on the escape route over there.”

Muno said, pointing towards the outside of the forest with a rather exaggerated gesture.

And.

“Ah, yes. Of course, you should.”

He hoped that Rom, who seemed to be playing along with his act, had understood his intention.

‘If it’s them, they wouldn’t want any witnesses.’

Judging by Amos’s actions, their goal was to kidnap him.

So, if he separated himself from the group first, they wouldn’t bother with the soldiers.

Indeed, as he moved away from the group, the surrounding demonic energy also began to move slightly.

The domain of demonic energy slowly tightened around the prey as if it were a perfect opportunity.

Muno’s tension heightened as he could feel that subtle control in its entirety.

‘I need to inform Sir Gunter and Karina…….’

If he had known such a difficult enemy to gauge would come, his father too…….

‘No, that’s not it.’

In the first place, if the Knight of Gluttony had been following him, they might not have approached at all.

And no matter how strong a magician was, unless they were a mage, they wouldn’t be a match for him.

……He had to believe that.

“I should send a retreat signal……”

The moment he came out of the forest, Muno muttered to himself for no reason and took out another firework, rubbing the fuse vigorously.

The firework he gave to Rom might not go off, so this one at least…….

Psssss.

But the attempt ended in a futile failure.

The flame that should have ignited the gunpowder as soon as he pulled the fuse went out, and.

A chilling cold began to envelop his surroundings.

‘This is…….’

The moment he was about to frown and search for the source of the demonic energy.

Whoosh.

The red light he had intended to shoot was seen soaring into the sky from inside the forest where the soldiers were.

‘Well done, Rom!’

And.

J-j-j-j-j-jeong.

Following that, a giant ice pillar also shot up from that place.

– Aaaaaah!

The moment the soldiers’ screams were heard.

“Damn it!!!”

Without realizing it, Muno began to dash like an arrow towards the forest where the soldiers were.

‘They would hope for no witnesses……. Right, the most certain way to do that would be to kill them all. What an idiot!’

As he picked up speed with self-reproach.

[Freeze.]

A chilling voice was heard, and at the same time, an indescribable cold wrapped around him from all sides.

J-j-j-j-jeok.

His body froze in the running position and instantly became a large block of ice.

[To think I had to come in person for a mere brat like you…….]

The moment a voice filled with unconcealed annoyance rang out.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

[……What!?]

The block of ice shattered into pieces, and Muno’s body shot out from within.

“You son of a bitch!!”

Muno, whose head had cooled down thanks to the cold despite his boiling anger, now began to run not towards where the ice pillar had shot up, but towards the source of that magical power.

A little further north from where the soldiers were.

– Magician! Kill!! Devour him!!

The voice of the Demon Devourer began to ring in his head in accordance with his surging anger.

‘Fine. Do as you wish.’

The moment he decided to accept that cry.

Muno, who had been consciously separating his consciousness and controlling the Demon Devourer, began to release that violent ego.

W-w-w-w-wooduk.

As his eyes, including the whites, turned black, his body, which had swelled up even more, began to rush towards the target much faster than before.

“This is crazy……!?”

Alten Run, a 4-class mage belonging to the northern branch of the Demon Cult, couldn’t help but be flustered.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know that composure and calmness were virtues of a magician, but he couldn’t help but be flustered when a 1-Star knight broke through his magic and charged at him.

‘How?’

A lowlife who should have become an ice statue with a single gesture of his hand had broken through his magic.

A 1-Star Corporeal Arts user with the ability to manipulate metal.

According to the information he had received, it was something that didn’t make sense.

His calm head naturally had to find a plausible reason.

‘No, I was trying to capture him, so I unconsciously made my magic weaker.’

Right, that had to be it.

It must have been because he had put in less magical power than when he was dealing with the trash the brat had with him.

So, he decided to invest a little more magical power into his next spell.

Even if the prey died, he didn’t care.

Thump.

‘Hold on, brat.’

Through the staff he slammed down, wishing his enemy, who had to withstand his magic, good luck, a sharp cold spread out.

As a magician, he could use his full power in any environment, unlike those clumsy spirit masters, but it would also be foolish not to take advantage of this cold environment.

J-j-j-jeok.

The wave of ice that spread out once again engulfed the brat charging at him from about 300 meters away.

But that was only for a moment.

Kwajik.

“Kyaaaaak!! I’ll kill you!!”

Kwad-d-d-duk.

The brat charged straight through the mountain-sized wave of ice.

With frost on his head and his face pale, he had clearly broken through his magic.

Black eyes with no whites visible and huge muscles that bulged through his leather armor.

He felt an instinctive pressure from the brat’s appearance, like a barbarian warrior from a legend.

‘Pressure? Me?’

The fluster Alten felt the moment he recognized his own emotions soon turned to anger.

“How dare you……!”

No matter how much of a brat he was, if he was a Corporeal Arts user, he would close a distance of about 300 meters in no time.

There was no time to consider this and that.

‘That brat is particularly resistant to cold.’

Thump.

Having made his judgment with that brief thought, this time he shot a wave of flames at the enemy.

Kwarurururu.

A wave of flames spreading out radially.

A 3-Circle spell, the highest level he could use without chanting as a 4-class mage, poured down on the enemy.

Carrying the maximum magical power of a 4-class mage.

The moment he realized that, he thought, ‘oops.’

‘This is…….’

No matter how instantaneous it was and had its limits, this was stronger than a spell a 3-Circle magician would prepare with all their might.

A Corporeal Arts user, an insignificant superhuman compared to a magician, and a low-level knight at that, would not be able to withstand it.

‘I have to capture him!’

But then.

Puhwak.

Four black chains shot out through the wave of flames and came close.

“Hup!?”

He blocked them with a transparent barrier that was reflexively manifested.

Kwad-d-d-duk.

The moment the chains were deflected once, for some reason, the barrier collapsed.

‘How……!?’

There was no time to even think about the reason.

“Die!”

From behind the deflected chains, the brat, whose whole body was flushed red, swung a heated greatsword like a bolt of lightning.

His vision turned white.

He could feel it.

‘I’m going to die…….’

To die so futilely, caught off guard, without even being able to properly use his specialty, magic?

He only felt resentment and more resentment.

But then.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

With a roar, a black armor shot up in front of him.

“How can you leave me behind, Lord Alten.”

A man in pitch-black armor, even wearing a black helmet.

“Roman!”

“As always, the vanguard is for me to…….”

Bang!

“……take care of.”

Kwakwakwang.

Roman shot forward and slammed into the enemy.

As he watched the enemy being sent flying helplessly, he wiped his startled chest.

‘Wait, the enemy?

Startled? Me, by that brat?’

Soon, Alten, enraged by his own thoughts, drew up his magical power again and shouted.

“Hold him down! I’ll finish him!”

“As you…….”

Bang!

“……command.”

As he watched Roman charge at the enemy again, Alten recalled the strongest spell he could cast.

‘I’ll grind you to dust.’

Kadeuk.

In this moment when his lofty pride had been mortally wounded, he didn’t even consider the cult’s orders.

W-w-w-w-woong.

“A mere brat who isn’t even a magician!!”

The brat, known to be a mere 1-Star Corporeal Arts user, was fighting on equal footing with a 3-Star Magic Knight while brandishing a greatsword and strange chains, but that didn’t catch his eye.

Since he was a brat with something like a metal manipulation ability, he would certainly be advantageous in a fight swinging around crude pieces of iron.

It was just that the sight of the brat, who deserved to be torn to pieces, struggling to the end was unpleasant.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwa.

The moment the raised magical power and the incantation he was chanting internally responded to each other and created a storm of flames and cold around him.

Through the blazing storm of magical power, he saw someone else jump into the battlefield.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

“A Magic Knight!?”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

“You slave of a magician, what do you think this place is!!”

It was a knight in heavy armor, wielding a large halberd.

“Go……!”

Bang.

“……Young Master!”

Bangbangbangbangbangbang.

“I’ll take care of this one!”

At the appearance of the heavily armored knight who was pressing Roman by crazily swinging a ridiculously large halberd.

“Krrrrr.”

The chain brat let out a beast-like growl and began to charge at Alten again.

In that brief moment, the emotion Alten felt was bewilderment.

How could he not be?

A heavily armored knight, estimated to be around 3-Stars, had told a 1-Star brat with the peculiar ability to control mere(?) metal to deal with him.

Him, who was fully prepared, unlike just before.

‘He must have judged me based on my carelessness earlier.’

Now, even without Roman, he was confident he could burn both of them to death in an instant.

“Puhahahaha!”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

He had to teach these absurd mayflies their place.

First, this arrogant brat who had already approached and was shooting four chains at him.

“Scatter, wind of cold flame .”

With a simple starting word, a part of the storm of flames that enveloped the area extended towards the brat.

Even if it was only a part, it was a 4-Circle spell, an attack containing the principles of magic that was on a different level from the instantaneous 3-Circle spells the brat had withstood.

A magic of ruin where flame, cold, and wind, which would not mix under normal circumstances, coexisted.

A piece of true magic touched by the great truth that only those chosen by the Outer God could learn, a truth that ignored, mocked, and twisted the providence of the world.

He had no doubt that it would turn the brat into scattering ash-gray ice fragments in an instant.

As he believed.

Kwakwakwakwa.

“Kuk!”

The charging brat was swept away by the force and sent flying backward.

But.

“Kwaak! I’ll kill you! Magician!”

The brat soon started running again, looking perfectly fine, no, looking like he had swelled up even more.

“What!?”

The moment the four chains shot out in front of the brat, Alten’s heightened senses felt his magic being significantly halved and scattered.

At that moment, he realized.

‘Those chains, they’re an artifact. And an anti-magic one at that.’

No wonder!

He thought he finally understood why the brat had been withstanding his magic until now.

But.

“Hmph. An artifact made by a spirit master……!”

There must be a limit.

If anyone could face a high-ranking magician just by having something like that, the current mage Empire wouldn’t exist.

Besides, that artifact had already swallowed parts of 3-Circle and 4-Circle magic several times.

“Explode along with the artifact!!”

Hwarurururuk.

A storm of magic, in which half of the completed cold flame had been invested, was shot at the brat again from all directions.

Even if that chain was an artifact on the level of the anti-magic armor said to be owned by the King of the Iron Kingdom, if the user was a 1-Star Corporeal Arts user, he would never be able to handle even the aftermath of this power.

Yes, it had to be that way.

However.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwa.

His smile at the sight of the enemy who had disappeared, swept away by the red and blue storm for a moment, was short-lived.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang.

– I’ll kill you!!!

Tudadadadada.

The moment he saw the monster running from afar again, flapping(?) its chains, Alten felt goosebumps on his skin.

“Kyaaaaak!”

The body of the brat, who was constantly shouting, had swelled up even more than before.

His skin seemed to be covered with traces of being frozen and burned.

The brat was even coughing up blood with black veins popping out on his wounds.

But the chains were perfectly fine.

No matter how much it was an artifact for dealing with magicians, there was no way it wouldn’t show any change after devouring this much magic.

If so, it wasn’t an artifact but…….

‘That brat……. he’s eating magic!?’

He couldn’t believe it.

An absurd thing.

It was something impossible from a common-sense perspective.

But no matter how nonsensical the inference was, if that was the only possibility, then it was the truth.

“Crazy!!!!”

At the sight that overturned his common sense, Alten was once again enraged as a magician.

‘How dare you eat magic, which reigns over providence?’

That fact was unbearably unpleasant.

Fortunately, looking at the brat’s condition, he seemed to have already reached his limit.

“Die!!!”

He was confident that he could finish the brat with the remaining storm of cold flame.

He could uproot this small sprout that might one day grow into a natural enemy of magicians.

‘I will definitely kill him.’

With that thought, Alten poured all his remaining strength into the storm of cold flame.

It wasn’t a judgment made solely out of fighting spirit.

The condition of the brat charging like a beast clearly seemed to be seriously injured.

He had calculated that he would never be able to eat this attack as well.

But at that moment.

Pshuk.

With a very small sound, his neck suddenly stung.

‘What……?’

He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn’t come out properly.

Hot liquid flowed from the hand that had unconsciously grasped his neck.

Pshushushushuk.

A burning sensation assailed his entire body one after another, and his magical power scattered into pieces.

“Guk……?”

The place he reflexively looked at.

A skinny woman holding a shining rapier was glaring at him with murderous eyes.

Only then could Alten realize that his entire body was riddled with numerous holes.

‘For me to be taken down so absurdly…….’

In his blurring vision.

“No! He’s mine!!”

He thought he heard even more absurd words.

But his consciousness, ended there.

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